Method of making shoes



Smpt 3, 1935. w. E. DE HART METHOD OF MAKING SHOES Filed June 13, 1952 Patentedsep t. 3, 1935 METHOD or MAKING SHOES William E. De Hart, St. Louis, Moi, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application Jute 13, 1932, Serial No. 616,93?

14 Claims. (01. 12 145) This invention relates to the manufacture of,

shoes, and more particularly to the lasting of shoes. 'The invention is herein illustrated by reference tothe lasting of shoes of that type in 5 which the margin of the upper is lasted in substantially parallel relation to the bottom of the last over an insole on the last; but .it is not limited to the manufacture of shoes of that particular type, and in view of its general applicability to the manufacture of shoes of different kinds the term "sole is frequently usedhereinafter, especially in the claims, to designate generically the shoe bottom part over which the upper is lasted.

It'has been a frequent practice heretofore the lasting of shoes of the above-mentionedtype insolegand to fasten the upper atthe forepart, including the ball and toe portions, by a suitable adhesive herein referred to as cement. In making shoes in that manner the sides from the toe portion to the heel portion are frequently lasted by the use of a side-lasting machine of the progressive type which drives staples to fasten the upper along the shank portion of the shoe bottom and lasts the shoe along the ball portion without staples, pressing the upper in that location into position to adhere to the insolo, after which the shoe is placed in a bedlastingmachine for the lasting of its toe and heel ends. The present invention, inone'as pect providesa novel method of making such a shoe in the practice of which both the toe portion and the sides substantially as far rear- ,wardly as the ball line may be conveniently lasted in a bed-lasting machine, preferably after the lasting of the sides along the shank portion by use of a side-lasting machine of the progressive type. In accordance with the procedure herein illustratively disclosed, the shoe is first lasted progressively along the shank portion in themanner above described, the shoepreferably having been pulled-over in the customary manner; the toe is then lasted with cement by the aid of the toe wipers of a. bed-lasting machine;

and thereafter the sides between the toe portion and the ball line are lasted with cement. The

last-mentioned step may be conveniently per'-' formed manually by the aid of lasting pincers while the shoe is in the bed-lasting machine,

5 it since after the shoe has been lasted substantially so applied as to anchor them in the insole without clinching them on the inner face of the as far forwardly as the ball line and at the toe portion, but little lasting tension need be appliedto the portions of the upper that remain in an unlasted condition forwardly of the ball line. It is contemplated thatin lasting the toe portion and the remainder of the forepart with cement the operator 'may apply and fasten to the shoe means for holding the upper under clamping pressure toward the bottom of the last until the cement has set, the drawing illustrating the use ofnovel means hereinafter described for this purpose, although it isto be understood that in its more general method aspects the invention is not limited to the use of such clamping or holding means. r

i The novel method will now be more particularly described by'reference to the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, l Fig. 1 is a perspective View illustrating the lasting of the forepart of a shoe in the practice of the method of this invention, with the shoe in a bed-lasting machine;

Fig. 2 shows a, portion of the shoe in side elevation with the upper-holding device thereon;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the shoe after lasting;

' Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the upper-holding device detached; and

Fig.5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating how the shoe may be lasted along the sides between the heel-end portion and the ball line by the use of a staple side-lasting machine of well-known construction.

In the practice of the novel method it is contemplated that after the customary pullingover operation the shoe will preferably be lasted first alongthe sides substantially from the heelend portion or heel breast line to the ball portion by the use, for example, of a staple side-lasting machine of the type disclosed inLetters Patent No. 1,815,297, granted on July 21, 1931 upon an application of George Goddu. Such a machine operates progressively to last diiferent portions of the upper in succession, each-portion of the upper being pulled by a gripper shown in dotted lines at ID in Fig. 5 and thereafter fastened 'in lasted position by a staple s. The staple is dI'lV-. en by a driver i2 and is engaged by a member is that deflects its legs in curvedpaths such as to anchor them in the body of the insole without clinching them on the inner face .of the insole.

Thereafter; in accordance with the procedure illustrated, the shoe is'placed in a bed-lasting machine of a well-known type provided with the usual shoe support and with toe-embracing wipers it that are operated in the customary manner to wipe the marginal portion of the upper around the toe inwardly over the insole and to press it firmly down upon the insole after having wiped the upper upwardly to the edge of the shoe bottom. If the toe portion of the upper materials includes a lining and a box toe stiffener, the operator may advance and close the wipers to wipe all the different layers of the upper materials inwardly over the insole and may thereafter, in accordance with the usual practice in lasting toes with cement, retract the Wipers and trim the lining and the toe stiffener back substantially to the edge of the insole. He will then apply cement to the margin of the upper around the toe and may at the same time apply cement to the upper materials at the rear of the toe portion substantially as far back as the ball line of the shoe. Cement also may be applied to the insole in accordance with wellknown practice. Alternatively, if cement of a kind which is activated by a solvent has previously been applied at the forepart of the shoe for lasting purposes and has hardened, he will at this time apply a solvent to soften the cement. The operator then preferably wipes the margin of the upper around the toe inwardly over the insole a second time and presses it into adhering relation to the insole and then retracts the wipers and applies to the shoe an upper-holding device constructed as shown in Fig. 4.

This upper-holding device comprises an up' per-holding member l3 formed to extend around the toe end of the shoe bottom in engagement with the upper over the margin of the insole and provided with rearwardly extending arms for engaging the upper alongthe opposite sides of the toe, and other upper-holding members 28 and 22 arranged to extend along the sides of the shoe bottom beyond these arms for engaging the upper substantially as far rearwardly as the ball line of the shoe, the members 20 and 22 being pivotally connected respectively at 24 and 26 to the rear ends of the arms of the member l8 for swinging movements widthwise of the shoe to position them in proper relation to the shoe. The toe-holding member i8 is constructed substantially as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,894,678, granted on January 1'7, 1933 upon an application of Joseph Fausse, and is provided with a portion 28 for engaging the upper in substantially parallel relation to the bottom face of the last and with an upstanding flange portion 30 inclined somewhat outwardly over the portion 28. The two angularly related portions 28 and 30 of the member I8 are thus arranged to be engaged by the wipers l6 of the lasting machine in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1 to position the member in proper relation to the toe and to press it firmly down upon the shoe bottom. Also substantially as disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent, there are provided in the portion 28 of the member 18 holes 32 arranged to receive tacks t, driven into the shoe bottom close to the edges of the wipers, and the upstanding flange 39 is provided with offset portions 35 arranged to present recesses in alinement with the holes 32 for the shanks of the tacks and curved upper edges to be engaged by portions of the heads of the tacks to hold the member clamped down upon the shoe bottom. It will be understood that the tacks are driven in the positions shown in Fig. 1

while the member i8 is held by the wipers in.

pressure-applying relation to the upper, and these tacks may, as illustrated, be driven prior to the lasting of the upper between the rear end of the toe portion and the ball line.

While the toe-holding member i8 is being applied and fastened to the shoe as above described, the members 2i and 22 ar preferably in idle positions where they do not interfere in any way with the placing of the member EB upon the toe, as shown in Fig. 1. After the lasting of the toe and while the marginal portion of the toe end of the upper is held under pressure, as herein illustrated both by the member 68 and the wipers IS, the operator, by the use of lasting pincers 3B, tensions the upper between the toe portion and the ball line at one side of the shoe in the manner illustrated in Fig. l, and while holding the upper under more or less tension by the pincers swings the appropriate upperholding member (as shown, the member 22) inwardly over the margin of the insole, the pincers being removed prior to the completion of the inward movement of this member. It will be evident that the member 22 thus has some wiping action on the margin of the upper as it is moved into upper-holding position. Thereafter, while holding the member 22 pressed down upon the upper with one hand, the operator drives a tack or tacks t to fasten this member in upper-holding position in the same manner as the toe- 1 posite side of the shoe, applying and fastening L the upper-holding member 23 in the same manner as the member 22. In thus lasting the two sides successively the operator is afforded the opportunity to treat the upper at each side separately in the manner required for the best results, especially with respect to the amount and the direction of the pull applied, so that the upper along the ball portion of the shoe will not only conform properly to the contour of the last but will also be positioned in proper relation to the portions already lasted at the toe end and rearwardly of the ball line. The operator may then'last the heel end of the shoe in any desired manner, Fig. 3 illustrating the use of tacks to hold the upper at the heel seat, and thereafter removes the shoe from the bed-lasting machine. After the cement used to fasten the forepart of the upper in lasted position has substantially hardened, the upper-holding device applied as described in the lasting operation is removed from the shoe.

It will be observed that the upper-holding members 20 and 22 in the construction shown are curved somewhat widthwise of the shoe in substantial accordance with the curvature of the edge of the portions of the shoe bottom along which these members extend. As illustrated the members 20 and 22 present substantially flat upper-engaging faces in the same plane as the upper-engaging face of the toe-holding member l8 for use on shoes the bottoms of which are substantially flat at the forepart. t will be understood, however, that for use on shoes the bottoms of which are differently shaped the members 20 and 22 may becurved somewhat heightwise After thus lasting I and fastened as above described maintains firm:

pressure 'on-the' upper over the greater portion of the width of its lasting margin,not only around:

the toe portion of the shoe bottom, but also substantially as "far rearwardly as the ball line,

thus insuring. that the upper will be securely fastened to the insole by the cement all along the margin of the shoe bottom throughout substantially the entire length of the forepart and also, by the compacting pressure applied to. the upper, preparing this portion ofthe shoe bottom 7 in a very satisfactory manner for-later manufacturing operations. .It'will further beevident that in, lasting :theforepart rearwardlyto the ball line in the manner: described;-with the use of means to clamp the upperfirmly upon the insole to holdit until thecement has set, pyroxylin cement may well be utilized to fasten the upper rearwardly to the. ball line as well as around the toe, with such advantages'as there may be in the use of cement of that character for, some kinds of work as compared with rubber cement customarily, used-in; lasting progressively with the It is to be. understood,

side-lasting machine. however, that the inventionis not limited to the use of. any particular kind of cement nor limited to the lasting of the shank portion of the shoe with staples or other permanent metalliofas-- tenings. v i I Novel features of the upper-holding means herein shown and described are claimed in a 1 divisional application, Serial No. 692,493, filed on October 6,1933, l i l g Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters. Patent of the United States is:

p 1. That improvement in methods of making shoes whichponsists in lasting :the sides of a shoe between the heel-end portion and the ball of the shoe and in the lasting operation inserting permanent, upper-holding fastenings to fasten the upper in lasted position, thereafter lastingthe toe portion of the shoe while usingcementto.

fasten the upper in lasted position, and after thus lasting the toe portion lasting also with cement the sides of the shoe between the toe por-,

tionand the portion previously lasted with inserted fastenings.

2. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting the sides of a shoe from the heel-end portion substantially as far forwardly as the ball of the shoe and in the lasting operation fastening the marginal portion of the upper over the bottom face of an insole with staples anchored in the body of the insole, thereafter lasting the toe portion of the shoe while using cement to fasten the upper over the bottom face of the insole, and after thus lasting the toe portion tensioning the upper at the sides of the shoe between the toe portion and the ball line and laying the margin of the upper in those locations over the insole and fastening it with cement.

3. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting the sides of a shoe progressively between the heel-end portion and the ball of the shoe and in the lasting operation inserting fastenings to fasten the upper to a sole,

thereafter lasting the toe portion of the shoe with shoes whichconsists in lasting a shoe successively indifferent locations along each of its opposite sides. between the heel-end portion and the ball of the shoe and in the lasting operation inserting' a, fastening in each location tofasten the upper to a sole, and thereafter lasting the forepart :of the shoe from the end of the toe substantially as far rearwardly asthe ball line with cement and applying and fastening to the shoe over the forepart of the shoe bottom from the end of the toe substantially to the ball line clamping means to hold the upper pressed down upon the sole until the cement has set.

5. Thatimprovement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting a shoe successively in diiferent locations along the sides of its shank portionand in the lasting operation fastening the mar inal portion of the upper over the bottom face of an insole with staples anchored in the body 6. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting the sides of a shoe in locations between the heel-end portion and the ball line and in the lasting operation layingthe margin of the upper inwardly over after thus lasting the toe also lasting with cement:

the bottom face of an insole and inserting indi vidual fastenings'to fastenit to theinsole before an outsole is applied to the shoe, thereafter lasting the toe portion of the shoe and in the lasting operation fastening the margin of the upper on the bottom face of the insole by cement, and

after thus lasting the toe portion lasting the sides of the shoe between the toe portion and the ball line and in thelasting operation fastening the margin of the upper in these locations on the bottom face of the insole by cement.

7, That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting the sides of a shoe in locations between the heel-breast line and the ball line and in the lasting operation laying the margin of the upper inwardly over the bottom face of an insole and fastening it to the insole before an outsole is applied to the shoe, thereafter lasting the toe portion of the shoe and in the lasting operation fastening the margin of the upper on the bottom face of the insole, and after thus lasting the toe portion lasting the sides of the shoe from the toe portion substantially to the ball line and in the lasting opera tion fastening the margin of the upper in these locations on the bottom face of the insole.

8. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting the sides of a shoe in locations between the heel-end portion and the ball of the shoe by use of a lasting machine of the progressive type acting to lay different portions of the margin of the upper successively inward over the bottom face of an insole and to fasten them to the insole before an outsole is applied to the shoe, and thereafter placing the shoe in a bed-lasting machine and lasting first the toe portion of the shoe and then the ball portion at the opposite sides of the shoe successively while using cement to fasten the margin of the upper in lasted position on the bottom face of the insole at said toe and ball portions.

9. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting the sides of a shoe in locations between the heel-end portion and the ball of the shoe and in the lasting operation' laying the margin of the upper over an insole and fastening it to the insole, and thereafter lasting the toe portion of the shoe and the sides of the forepart substantially as far rearwardly as the ball line with cement between the margin of the upper and the insole for fastening the upper to the insole and applying to the margin of the upper around the toe and substantially throughout the length of the forepart clamping means to press the upper upon the insole while the cement is setting.

10. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting the sides of a shoe in locations between the heel-end portion and the forepart by the use of a lasting machine of the progressive type acting to lay different portions of the margin of the upper successively inward over the bottom face of an insole before an outsole is applied to the shoe, thereafter placing the shoe on a support, working the upper around the toe end of the shoe inwardly over the bottom face of the insole and pressing it on the insole while the shoe is on said support, and while holding the upper pressed on the insole around the toe end with the shoe still on said support working the upper into lasted position along the ball portion of the shoe first at one side of the shoe bottom and then at the other side of the shoe bottom.

11. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting the sides of a shoe in locations between the heel-end portion and the forepart and in the lasting operation laying the margin of the upper inwardly over the bottom face of an insole and fastening it to the insole before an outsole is applied to the shoe, thereafter working the upper around the toe end of the shoe inwardly over the bottom face of the insole and securing it adhesively to the insole under pressure, and while holding the upper pressed on the insole around the toe end laying the margin of the upper inwardly over the insole and securing it adhesively to the insole along the ball portion of the shoe first at one side of the shoe bottom and then at the other side of the shoe bottom.

12. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in lasting the sides of a shoe successively in different locations between the heel-end portion and the forepart and in the lasting operation laying the margin of the upper inwardly over the bottom face of an insole and fastening it to the insole in each location before an outsole is applied to the shoe, thereafter placing the shoe on a support, working the upper around the toe end of the shoe inwardly over the bottom face of the insole and pressing it on the insole while the shoe is on said support, and while holding the upper pressed on the insole around the toe end with the shoe still on said support lasting the ball portion of the shoe first at one side of the shoe and then at the other side of the shoe by gripping and pulling the margin of the upper and then laying the margin upon the insole.

13. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in placing on a support a last having an upper and an insole thereon, working the upper around the toe end of the last inwardly over the insole and securing it adhesively to the insole under pressure while the last is on said support, and while holding the upper pressed on the insole around the toe end with the last still on said support working the upper into lasted position and securing its margin adhesively to the insole along the ball portion of the shoe first at one side of the shoe bottom and then at the other side of the shoe bottom.

14. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in placing on a support a last having an upper and an insole thereon, working the upper around the toe end of the last inwardly over the insole and pressing it on the insole while the last is on said support, and while holding the upper pressed on the insole all around the toe end with the last still on said support lasting the ball portion of the shoe first at one side of the shoe and then at the other side by gripping and pulling the margin of the upper and then laying the margin upon the insole and securing it to the insole.

WM. E. DE HART. 

